Edmunds.com | Inside Line | Auto Observer Your Account | Help | Directory
You are here:
![[F]](http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com/media/townhall/webxicons/site.gif){kind=small}
Forums
Classic Cars Project Cars: You Get to Vote on "Hold 'em or Fold 'em"
15494 messages, Last post on Oct 07, 2008 at 6:52 AM
You are in the Classic Cars Forum. Your Host is mr_shiftright
|
He said "this is a big problem." But said I can take my time getting back to him, he's not in a rush. Kinda odd. We haven't talked about what to do yet. He wanted me to talk to the mechanic and get the story first. "Mechanic" has not returned my call. I'm not doing any chasing here. I've done my part. If he doesn't return my call, Oh well. I'm in NJ and he's in PA. I searched on lemon law in PA and the only thing it states for a non-dealer selling a used car is that I would be held accountable for expressed warranty. I did state in my auction, "no warranty expressed or implied." But, at the same time (whether this means anything), he didn't buy it through the auction. But that is where he saw the ad and I have emails supporting that. We have no paperwork of the transaction other than the title. NJ used car lemon law only applies to dealers AND cars less than 7 years old AND with less than 100k miles AND without a salvage title. You bring up a point this has me thinking about, though, boom. If I sell a car ever again, I believe I will have to insist the buyer either pay for an inspection or sign a waiver. Its ridiculous that this is what it comes down to. |
|
|
Replying to: qbrozen (Oct 03, 2008 3:43 pm) We haven't talked about what to do yet He can do whatever he wants, you don't have to do anything.  For all you know the mechanic could be his buddy, who could be playing along here to see if you can "pay" for some stuff, or cover part of the repairs. OR The buyer could be one of those eccentric collectors who might brag that they "never looked under the hood of a car when buying a car", and it came back and finally bit him in the butt, or his mechanic loathes working on Italian cars, or knows nothing about them and told him he made a "mistake" and he should get rid of it because it's "falling apart", or his wife told him to get rid of it once she found out he bought another car, or he's had buyer's remorse and knows he's stuck with it but he's testing the waters to see if you might feel bad about this "situation" and cave in and take the Alfa back. It seems like he's giving you the runaround because he doesn't know himself what the problem is (if any at all). If he would know then he would have told you, instead of asking you to call the mechanic about it. If he calls my conversation would go like this: Him: Did you talk to my mechanic? You: I tried getting a hold of him but he hasn't called back OR Yeah I did and he thinks the car is falling apart, to which I disagree. Him: I'm not happy/I want to return it/Help me pay for repairs etc..... You: I represented the vehicle as fairly as possible. You were aware that it is a 20 year old Italian roadster, and you being a car nut, frankly, I'm surpised that you are calling me about this wanting me to____________(insert what he told you here, pay for repairs, refund, take car back, give some money back). I know when I shop for cars I always look under the hood, and give them a good drive, and get my mechanics to check them out. Having seeing your collection I assumed that you know your stuff, hence I wasn't really concerned that you didn't do all those things. Maybe your mechanic just scared you a bit as these are eccentric cars, and they're not always perfect, not even when they're new from the factory. I'm not sure why the mechanic said it's falling apart, when it sure wasn't when you bought it and drive it. Otherwise you would not have bought it from me right? I have owned this car for XX years and I had no problems driving it in as is condition. If you would like to improve on it's current condition, then feel free to do so, however please don't expect me to contribute to that financially. Otherwise it's a very enjoyable car to drive as is. Don't let a mechanic scare you about it. By the way have you experienced driving it with the open top yet? It's a great feeling isn't it? OR Insert another feel good comment here.  See how it all ended on a good note? Plus you throw the ball back into his court by stroking his ego a bit about his car knoweldge, because even a 16 year old first time car buyer will know that private sales are final, and that should be no excuse for a car collector buying a 20 year old italian car. Heck even if you would mention it's concourse shape, it's up to him to do an inspection beforehand. Try the script I wrote. He might not be happy but it's not your problem anymore. Your ads were fairly detailed. Plus the price reflected the condition. 
|
|
|
|
|
Replying to: boomchek (Oct 03, 2008 4:17 pm)
|
|
|
Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Oct 03, 2008 5:02 pm) I wonder how much he extorted out of the previous owners of his other cars? 
|
|
|
Replying to: qbrozen (Oct 03, 2008 3:43 pm) I always type up a Bill of Sale that says, sold "as is", &: buyer knows: timing chain has to be replaced, or has been informed of repaired body damage, or buyer has bought car w/o inspection, whatever. Of course, if they do get an "inspection", it could be an experience like I had selling my saab; they get a crazy mechanic or "body man" who has their own agenda, & wants to prove their chops by hating your car over tiny or imaginary details. I dunno, but when you get a "live one" with cash $$, from out of state, & you haven't mis-represented the car, what do you do? Uuuummmmm.......yes! take the cash, & sign over the title is my answer. Look at the bright side: you did sell the car! You got cash $$. Many buyers are Horse's As**s before the sale, this guy want to be one now (& he doesn't even seem to be very good at it). Just chill, sit around & count his money, buy some good Scotch, go out to dinner, & ever so politely, tell this nut to go wherever, is my advice........ |
|
|
I bounce back and forth. It seems I make up my mind to tell him to stick it, and then I talk to him and start waivering. I'm spineless, I tell ya. Anyway, he called Fri night. I told him I didn't hear back. He says he'll call. 5 mins later, the mechanic calls. I talk to this "Alfa specialist" for a little while. He has a tough time describing the problem, as well. So I walk through it for him piece by piece. "OK. So, would you agree the outside of the rocker box [his term] is solid and in good shape?" Oh yeah. No doubt. Its very pretty, that's for sure. I wish my Spider looked as good on the outside. "Good. Now, the top of the rocker box, under the doors, would you say that is solid and in good shape?" Well, yes. "Fine. And the inside of the rocker box, under the carpet and above the floor. Good shape and solid?" Yes. "Ok..... so what is the problem?" He then tells me there are "like 4 layers inside." Ummmm... no. There is 1. We all saw that diagram I posted. So I then asked him how he looked "inside" the rocker box. His response was he put the car in the air and looked. Huh. Xray vision perhaps? I thanked him for his time and called the buyer back. I explained how I and the mechanic differ in our assessment. He tries to ask me all kinds of philisophical kind of stuff. "With what this mechanic is saying, would you drive the car?" Yes, of course I would. I drove it for 10 years. Everything visible on the car is solid and in good shape. I wouldn't worry one little bit about its structure. "If you had the car back, would you tell the next buyer about this problem?" If I had to do it again, I would insist any buyer take the car to get inspected PRIOR to purchase. I dont' think he liked my answers. He was looking for some sort of "hah. i got you." kind of thing. Anyway, he says he will take it to another place. Some Mustang shop who told him they may be able to put in bracers. I called a lawyer today. Just wanted to cover my bases. He told me that, for one thing, the buyer would have to come sue me here in NJ. But he could sue. And there is nothing definitive. Yes, I sold a 22-year-old used car and if my ad and emails don't give any guarantees, then I should be fine. However, it will take up my time, etc. And, there is always a possibility that a judge will decide against me for the fun of it. He suggests the most practical and least time consuming course of action would be to offer him $200 to sign a waiver and go away.
|
|
|
|
|
Replying to: qbrozen (Oct 06, 2008 9:06 am) I used to live in an apartment building in San Francisco with a crazy tenant upstairs from me who used to complain almost weekly to the landlord about my "mixing chemicals" in my apartment and creating noxious fumes that "gave her headaches"; also that I had some kind of "device" that made her walls hum. Would I have given $200 to shut her up forever? You bet. Anyway, she fell down the stairs one day and NO I wasn't even in town, so she moved out and all was bliss for a while. "Life is just one damned thing after another".
|
|
|
Replying to: qbrozen (Oct 06, 2008 9:06 am) You've taken notes on the conversation with the "mechanic", that's good. Personally, I'd just start shutting it down; you're never gonna win the argument with this lunatic buyer. If you talk to him again, Just state your case, you don't believe his claims, it's his car now. You could offer him $200, but you'd probably have to get a lawyer to draft it to make it airtight. And I'd bet then he'd want $1000 from you......just stop calling him back, it's just playing into his psycho-BS-scam.......like others have said here, I'd bet that this is SOP with this nut....... |
|
|
Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Oct 06, 2008 9:15 am) Let me guess, You were rebuilding a Norton in your apartment's living room. 
|
|
|
How can this 911 SC be so cheap? What did he do to this '73 911, and why does he think it is worth $44K? |
|
You are here:
Forums
Classic Cars Project Cars: You Get to Vote on "Hold 'em or Fold 'em"
